A Rito Romance
by Mecha Scorpion
Summary: A Wind Waker fic. Medli loves Link, but he doesn't notice her. So she pretends to fall in love with Komali, hoping that Link will be jealous. But does she have more feelings for Komali than she thought? My first attempt at romance so don't flame.
1. Chapter 1

A Rito Romance 

My first romantic fic, takes place after Link, Medli, Tetra, the pirates and the other people leave to find Hyrule. Review!

Medli lay in her hammock, letting the ship's gentle swaying rock her to sleep. Sleep came quickly, for it was a quiet night at sea. She quickly fell into the land of dreams…

Medli tapped her toe impatiently. The chieftain had said the new boy was to be here soon. Her duty was to give him a letter for Komali. Komali… Medli had a mild crush on him. She wished that she had been selected to give the letter to Komali herself. Now that his grandmother had passed, she wasn't put to much work.

_A boy ran into the room. And Medli couldn't believe it._

_While she admittedly had a crush on Komali, her love for this boy made her crush seem like nothing. The boy was her height, fairly muscular and with thick black brows, his long blonde hair tousled under a green cap. She forced herself to speak._

_They talked, with her speaking her piece as if it was a script. Her mind was elsewhere. The boy- Link- was so amazing that she had to meet him again._

_Mustering up all of her courage, she asked him to meet her at Dragon Roost Cavern. A date… the thought almost made her lightheaded._

_Link arrived at the cavern, squinting through the whirling ash. In her opinion, it only made him more adorable. But when she was about to ask him the question, her mind jammed. She quickly blurted out that she was going to talk to Valoo. The thought terrified her, but she couldn't get the courage to ask him what she really wanted to know._

_And then, when she had been trapped by the monsters… Link had come to her defense, slaying them boldly. And then, when she had her chance to cover up her actions with gratitude, she gave him the Grappling Hook instead…_

_And in the Earth Temple, he had shown her what her destiny was to be, and fought every monster that menaced her… Medli almost couldn't understand how much he had done for her. If he didn't have feelings for her, why would he do it? So he could defeat Ganondorf. Ganondorf! The fact that he would even take on such a foe filled Medli with awe._

But who had he rescued on Outset? Tetra. Who had he brought to Hyrule? Tetra. Who had he fought Ganondorf with? Tetra, Tetra, Tetra! And it's just because she's human, thought Medli angrily. And everyone knows they're in love. If I so much as made a move, Tetra would order me off the ship. They'd maroon me somewhere… where, even if I flew off, I'd never see Link again…

Medli woke from her dream, gasping. It wasn't the first dream she'd had like this. She needed to talk to someone. Tetra was out of the question. Makar… he wouldn't understand. None of the pirates were smart enough to help her. Then who?

And the thought hit her. Who had known Link the best and the longest? Who could understand her and Link at the same time? Who could she confide in? Aryll. It was so obvious.

Medli wiggled with impatience in her bunk. It was early in the morning, and she had to wait until sunrise to talk to Aryll. Aryll did not like being woken up, but she woke early.

As the sun rose, Medli flew around the ship, looking for Aryll. She found the young girl hanging upside down from the edge of the ship, tied securely by a rope around her ankle. She was washing her hair in the ocean.

Medli flew just out of Aryll's line of sight, then popped out.

With a shriek, Aryll scrabbled wildly, trying to pull herself in. Medli laughed.

"Wasn't funny," grumbled Aryll, but her dimples were showing despite her attempt at a frown. "What do you want, Medli? It's early."

"I've got to talk to you about Link," said Medli with a deep breath.

A knowing smile came from Aryll. "All right."

"You see, I've liked him for ages," said Medli, expecting a reaction from Aryll. But the young girl took it in stride, letting the Rito girl finish. "But he obviously likes Tetra, and there's

nothing I can do about it!"

"Oh, I'm not so sure he's completely in love with Tetra," said Aryll, dripping sea water on the deck as she pulled herself back onto the ship.

"How can you say that? They're completely infatuated with each other!" hissed Medli.

"Look," said Aryll, "I don't know how much you know about the legend of the hero, but you know enough to see that the hero fell in love with the princess, Zelda. And obviously, Tetra is Zelda. In a way. And Link's the hero."

"What difference does that make? If anything, it just means they're meant for each other!" wailed Medli.

"Keep listening," said Aryll, showing remarkable patience. "Now I'm not saying this is necessarily the truth, so don't get your hopes too high up, but have you ever thought… that maybe Link's going along with it because that's what the hero did? Tetra's Zelda, but Link isn't that hero! He's his own man! But he's not going to be complete without a lady." Aryll smiled, and Medli marveled that this little girl knew so much that she didn't.

"But I can't just ask him! Tetra will be furious!"

"Good point," said Aryll thoughtfully. "Why don't I tell you about a situation I had. For a while I really admired Orca because of how he knew how to fight with swords. When I asked him to teach me, he told me I was too young. So, I thought I could make myself look older, more grown-up by pretending to have a boyfriend."

"I see…" said Medli slowly.

"So, I made friends with Joel, this kid on Outset, and I introduced him to Orca as my boyfriend. He told me that I was a lover, not a fighter, and he was the opposite." Aryll smiled at the memory.

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Medli, isn't it obvious?" sighed Aryll. "The way to attract someone- well, not the only way, but still- is to get them jealous, make them think you're an opportunity. A guy isn't going to ask out some girl who can't get a date right away! He knows he can take his time! If you want Link to like you and like you now… get him jealous. _Get a boyfriend._"

"But he's the one I love! And besides, how could I find anyone-" Medli stopped. Komali… she could have him be her boyfriend for Link to be jealous! And, if she remembered her old crush, she could like him just enough to keep herself from being completely bored.

"All right," she said. "I'll give it a try."

Quite a bit of time had passed since they began their conversation, and before they knew it the ship was bustling with life. A burly pirate unfurled the sail, while others cast fishing lines overboard to get breakfast. Makar chatted with Niko the swabbie as they came through a door. Aryll scurried up the ladder to the crow's nest to check ahead with her newly regained telescope. That left Link and Tetra…

Sure enough, Link's face squinted into the morning sunlight before he stepped out, already dressed. Tetra was still in her pajamas- she wasn't embarrassed, if any of her crew showed any sign of interest they would be in serious trouble- and Medli couldn't help but realize why Link might like her. Her tan was amazing, and her figure… even as a girl, Medli couldn't help but admit it was attractive. She couldn't match up to that. Tetra was throwing on her vest and pants as she yelled orders. Link was walking in a different direction. He was going to talk to the King of Red Lions, his boat. Medli sighed. It was sad, how the only person he could really talk to was the boat… Medli wished she could talk to him like he did that boat.

But Link wasn't much for chatter that morning. He whipped out his grappling hook and cruised a short distance away from the ship. With a plunge of the hook, he pulled up a piece of buried treasure.

As he crawled on board, Tetra looked expectantly at him.

Link pulled his hands out from behind his back to reveal a Silver Rupee.

Cheers erupted from the pirates. They were due to reach Windfall Island soon, and the money could be well spent. Makar jumped for joy, and the King of Red Lions looked on gruffly. Tetra sidled over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

It was all Medli could do to stop herself from tearing Tetra apart. How dare she kiss Medli's love like that! But Medli's temper faded away… patience was the key here.

Breakfast was on deck that day, due to the beautiful weather. The fish were divided equally onto plates, except for Makar, who only drank forest water that Link carried in bottles. Again, Medli sighed. It was so kind of Link to do that!

She positioned herself so she sat between Link and Komali. Tetra sat on Link's other side and touched his shoulder.

"Thanks for finding that for us, Link," she purred.

"No biggie," said Link relaxedly, drawing his sword. A few of the pirates drew back, but Link only used it to cut his fish into bite-sized pieces.

"You know, when we get to Windfall you'll get a real treat," said Tetra. "After all, you found that Silver Rupee by yourself."

"No really, you don't need to buy me anything," said Link.

"You don't have to buy the kind of treat I'm talking about, Link," murmured Tetra in his ear. Nobody else heard, but Medli's hearing was excellent.

The Rito girl nearly lost all her feathers in rage. Tetra intended to take Link to Windfall Island and… It was unthinkable. As much as she loved Link, she had never thought of doing _that_ with him. They were 13 years old, for Valoo's sake! Medli instantly knew that something had to be done.

Medli plucked one of her feathers out. It hurt, but she did it. She quickly excused herself and left the deck, retreating to the privacy of her room.

Once there, she found a piece of paper, part of a large stack that Aryll was using to make a map of the new Hyrule. Dipping the feather in ink, she quickly scrawled in her best writing:

Hey Komali,

Be at the crow's nest when the first star appears in the sky. We need to talk.

Love, Medli

She had never addressed any message to him like that before. Medli rolled the paper up in a tube, inserted the feather, and tiptoed cautiously to Komali's bunk. She hid it in his pillowcase, knowing he would find it there.

Briefly she heard voices outside. They belonged to Link and Tetra.

"Can't you use the Song of Passing, Link? Windfall's so much more festive at night." So at least they weren't talking about that. But Medli was worried. If Link used the Song of Passing, Komali probably wouldn't get her message.

"I'm not screwing with the world any more than I have to, Tetra." Medli silently applauded Link. He knew what was right.

"But please, Link?"

"Tetra, we won't get there until afternoon anyway. And then we'll need to get rooms at the inn, and dock the ship and such. It'll be fine." Footsteps could be heard as Link and Tetra walked away. Medli sighed in relief.

The Rito girl thought Aryll should be kept up-to-date, so she talked to Link's sister as soon as breakfast was finished. She also described what the letter had said.

"Great job!" approved Aryll. "I like the letter. Makes you seem… well… experienced, but not like a total bimbo."

"Good," said Medli. "But there's something more…" She told Aryll about what she had overheard at breakfast.

"WHAT?" roared Aryll, jumping up.

"Keep your voice down!"

"When I find that little pirate brat I'm gonna-"

"Aryll, calm down. You know you can't kill her…" Medli's eyes got a mischievous spark. "Unless I get to join in." Aryll laughed, but Medli could tell she was still enraged. "And if I have anything to do about it, that's not going to happen. Ever."

The rest of the day was slightly uneventful, just typical chores aboard the ship. They reached Windfall Island at around 5 in the afternoon (AN: They probably don't have a 24 hour clock but just bear with me) and got settled in the inn at about 6.

"All right," said Tetra. "There are 3 rooms, and each can fit 3 people. Makar, you don't need a full-sized bed, so we can find something that'll work for you." The Korok nodded in agreement.

"I think we should have Gonzo, Senza and Nudge in one room, Zuko, Niko and Tetra in another, and Link, Komali and I in another," said Medli. Komali looked at her in a way that told her he knew what was going on- and better yet, what she had written to him.

"I agree with Gonzo, Senza and Nudge, but I think that Link and I should sleep together, along with… say… Niko," said Tetra, her distaste toward anyone sleeping in a room with her and Link clear.

"I'll sleep with Tetra and Medli," interjected Link. Tetra began to protest, but his look silenced her. Even though he had little authority over the ship, Link could tell Tetra what to do when he needed to. Such authority… Medli sighed inwardly. She glanced out the window to see the sky darkening. The first star would be out soon.

"Uh- I have to leave for just a minute," she said, casting a significant look at Komali.

"Same with me," he said in what he imagined was a deep voice. Both stepped out of the inn.

"What is going on?" asked Komali as soon as the door closed.

"Wait until we're at the crow's nest," said Medli, and she flew off. Komali, who was still adjusting to his wings, flew after her clumsily. He almost hit the arch that marked the entrance to the town.

Medli landed gracefully on the crow's nest. Komali landed on the ladder and climbed the rest of the way. He began to speak.

"Ssshhh…" said Medli, and she reached over to kiss him.

It wasn't as hard as she'd thought at first. She kept her eyes closed the whole time, and she saw Link in front of her, lips pressed against hers… She broke away to see Komali looking as if he was in heaven. Medli looked away and could have sworn she saw Aryll urging her on through a nearby window.

She was about to speak to Komali, but he pressed a wing to her lips. "Sshhh…" he said, and kissed her. As they kissed, Medli realized that he wasn't the weak little boy he had been before Link came. He was stronger, more mature, more… She stopped. This was strictly to get Link jealous. Still, she felt slightly guilty, knowing that she would have to tell him one day it was all an act… She let that thought go and imagined it was Link rather than Komali.

"I think we've spoken enough tonight," she whispered just before she flew away.

Expect more soon… Review!


	2. Chapter 2

A Rito Romance 

Please review! My first romance!

Medli flew from the crow's nest, not bothering to look back at Komali. She wanted to tell Aryll. They'd probably left the inn by now. The pirates (except for Tetra) would all be in the coffee house, Link and Tetra… Medli didn't know, and Aryll… didn't know either. The Rito girl flew around the island before finding Aryll.

Aryll was standing on the cliff by the tombstone, looking into the west.

"Hey, Aryll," said Medli impishly, landing next to the tombstone. "Whatcha lookin' at?"

"That was where it all started…" whispered Aryll, her eyes on a point that Medli realized was the Forsaken Fortress. At that point Medli fell silent.

"Sorry," said Aryll, turning with a bright grin. "So, how did it go?"

"Great," said Medli, and she gave Aryll all the details. Aryll's grin grew so wide that Medli was sure the little girl would burst out of happiness.

"Great! Hey, why don't I try talking to Link, and see about him," said Aryll. "I won't tell him I've talked to you, though. That way, I know what's going on with both sides." The little girl chuckled wisely and walked toward the inn. Medli looked into the distance, back toward the pirate ship. Komali was still standing there.

Aryll stood on the Ferris wheel, trying to get a good look for Link. As it rose to its highest point, the little girl spun in a circle, looking for Link. As she completed her turn, she saw Link facing south, standing on the lighthouse.

"Link, I've been looking for you!" she said.

Link turned to face her. _Turning away from Outset, _he thought to himself. _And Headstone Island… where Medli became the Earth Sage… _He shook away the thought. He didn't need to become angsty right now. "Little sis! I haven't seen you much lately!" He tugged one of her pigtails lightly.

"Quit that," she said, pulling her pigtail back playfully. "Hey, it's thanks to you we're here. Tetra was pretty grateful." She smirked as Link blushed slightly.

"Well, she had better not try anything like _that,_ let me tell you," he said, putting on a mock scowl and pretending to swing with the Master Sword. But Aryll wasn't fooled: she could see Link would have no problem with whatever Tetra decided to do.

"Hey, have you heard about Medli and Komali?" asked Aryll slyly, looking at the gulls flying nearby.

"No, what?" asked Link, who despite his heroic personality loved gossip.

"They're a couple now," announced Aryll matter-of-factly, still watching the gulls. "Smooching the beaks off each other. I saw them with my Telescope."

"Great," said Link, smiling. He was proud to see Komali was mature enough to have a girlfriend and was happy for Medli. _But then why was there a shred of jealousy in his heart? Did he… _He shook it off. "They're just right for each other. They spent a lot of time together when Medli was being trained by Komali's grandmother."

"That's right," agreed Aryll. "Too bad she's taken, cause I think you two would make a great couple."

"Shut up," said Link, but he was surprised. _How much does Aryll know? Wait a minute… I like Tetra, not Medli. But then why do I feel so guilty saying that to Aryll? I always feel guilty when I lie…_

"I'm serious!" giggled Aryll. "You're perfect for each other… oh yeah, but I forgot you've already made 'arrangements' with Tetra." Aryll made kissy noises with her lips.

"You're just jealous," said Link, who was pretty jealous of Komali himself. _But why?_

Aryll humphed and rode the Ferris wheel back down.

Tetra came up a few minutes later. She shivered in the cold. Link didn't offer her anything.

"Why was Aryll up here?" she asked, wrapping an arm around Link. Link was surprised when he tensed slightly at her touch.

"Nothing," he said. "She just said hi."

"Want to come down to the inn?" she asked. "You'll be warmer."

"Nah… I'm fine…"

"I could help you warm up," she said, putting an emphasis on the last two words. And for the first time during their conversation, Link looked directly at her.

"Tetra, I can't do that with you."

"Why ever not?" she drawled.

"Look, I like you and all, but I'm not ready for that."

"Why? Is there someone else?" she hissed.

"Of course not," lied Link. _What was he lying about? There wasn't anyone else… was there?_

"You don't love me. Is that it?" she demanded.

Link replied almost inaudibly. "That's it."

Tetra didn't cry. She never did. But her courage, her bravery, that person behind the wink and the smile disappeared. It was replaced by a murderous little girl that longed to rip Link apart. Link sensed this and turned, his brows lowering over his steely eyes. But there was no need. Tetra boarded the Ferris wheel and rode away, glaring at Link the whole way down.

Aryll, who had heard the whole thing, ran away to tell Medli.

"So they broke up?" asked Komali interestedly at breakfast. Both Link and Tetra were there, and they were on opposite sides of the table. Taking refuge in the middle, they wouldn't be heard.

"Yeah," said Aryll. "Even though they were never really a couple."

"But they liked each other," said Medli. "At least, Tetra liked Link."

"I'm pretty sure he liked her too," said Komali, unaware of the hurt he was putting on Medli. How could he be aware? For all he knew, he and Medli actually were in love.

"Not as much as she liked him," supplied Aryll for her benefit. "He was the one who turned her down."

Medli perked up. Aryll had skipped over that important detail when she first told Medli. "Really?"

"Yeah," said Aryll. The rest of the meal was in silence.

Tetra called a meeting shortly after breakfast.

"The rooms have been changed," she said, throwing Link a nasty look. "Gonzo, Senza and Nudge will room together as before. However, Link-" she spat the word out- "will sleep with Medli and Komali, and I'll room with Zuko and Niko." She stomped off as the others discussed this.

They were going to spend a few more days at Windfall, and none of them had much of a schedule, so everyone wandered around town. The pirates stayed in the inn, drinking more beer than was thought to be physically possible. Tetra shut herself up in her room, while Aryll played the squid-shooting game again and again. Link sat under the cliff where he had met King of Red Lions.

Makar toddled over to him.

"Hey, Link," he began. "I heard about your fight with Tetra, and… I'm sorry."

"Tell me about it," said Link bitterly, but he appreciated Makar's sensitivity.

"I was just thinking, if you're looking for a new girl… Medli's not that bad, you know?"

"But she's dating Komali," said Link. "Even if I did like her that much, I wouldn't want to ruin it for them."

"All right," said Makar agreeably. The Korok walked off, and Link had to smile. The little Korok could cheer him up even better than Aryll.

At that moment, Medli and Komali were flying around the island. Medli was helping Komali fly, who was still inexperienced.

"You have to dip your right wing to turn right, and same with your left wing if you want to go left," she instructed.

Komali executed a hairpin turn around the lighthouse.

"Bravo!" she applauded, and blew him a kiss. She was genuinely proud of him, and it made her feel sad that she was using him like this. But it seemed to be working. Link and Tetra had broken up. That was a big step in the right direction.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Komali. He was out of control, and was falling closer to the ground.

Medli zoomed toward him, but there was nothing she could do. She screamed helplessly as he plummeted.

And just before he hit the ground, he flapped his wings once and hovered above the ground.

Medli couldn't help but laugh, but she was enraged at the same time. He could have been killed. _Why do you care so much, Medli?_ came a cynical little voice. _After all, he's not the one you truly love._

_You don't have to love someone to be concerned when they fall like that, _she responded as she flew to Komali's side.

The voice went away as she reached Komali.

"Don't ever do that again!" she yelled at him, but she was smiling. He reached out and began to tickle her.

"No," she begged. "Stop! Please!" But Komali continued, and only stopped when she offered him anything. Pulling her to her feet, he gave her a kiss.

"Well, well, well," came a voice from behind them. "Strange to see you here, Komali and Medli."

They turned around to see Quill the postman, smiling at them.

"Uncle Quill!" cried Komali. The Rito wasn't really his uncle, but it was an affectionate term.

"How have you been?" said Quill fondly. "Where are Link and Tetra?"

"Around," said Medli. "Don't talk to them about each other, though. They had a big fight."

"I see," said Quill sadly. "I must be going now. Have fun!" He laughed as he flew away.

"Why wouldn't you stop tickling me?" she asked teasingly.

"I just like to see you happy like that," he admitted. "Well, you weren't really happy, but you were laughing." He gave her a dazzling smile.

Medli looked away for a brief moment, touched. Komali really cared about her. It would break his heart if she told him it was an act. Medli briefly hated herself for doing this to him. And then she thought of something…

Link had rejected Tetra because he 'wasn't ready.' Would he be ready for her? And at that point she decided that she wasn't pretending to love Komali. It was real.

And she reached over and kissed him, not just briefly but for a long time. Right then her world consisted of the two of them, and nothing else. Link could be madly in love with her and she wouldn't care. She was in love with Komali.

Link sat under the cliff. He hadn't moved. _Makar is right. I do have feelings for Medli. I'll talk to her._ He walked off and found Medli quickly. She was walking with Komali.

"Medli?" said Link. "Can we talk? Alone?"

Komali raised an eyebrow. Medli placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's all right," she told him, and walked a short distance away with Link. "What?"

Link let out a breath. "I've realized something, Medli, that I couldn't see before. I figured it out when Tetra left… I think I'm in love with you."

Medli had her chance then. She looked back at Komali, who didn't know what was being said… at Link, so hopeful looking… and she realized she'd have to break one of their hearts.

"I'm sorry, Link," she whispered, a single tear moving down her beak, and she walked back to Komali, leaving Link sad and confused.

The day wore on. Medli met up with Aryll at sunset at the lighthouse.

"Link got back together with Tetra," Aryll informed her. "She agreed she wouldn't try to take it so fast, and he agreed that he'd try a little harder too." She narrowed her eyes. "I know what Link said to you. You had your chance."

"I know," said Medli happily. "But I love Komali now. And that's never gonna change."

THE END 

My first attempt at romance… Please don't flame!


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